Plugged In

PSA: Free games from Redbox this week

The end of 2011 was flooded with new games, and it's certainly understandable if you didn't get around to buying many of them.

Now Redbox is giving you a chance to sample many of those titles -- for free.

From now through March 1, the game (and movie) rental service is offering free rentals on some of the biggest games for each of the major systems.

Before you rush out the door to your nearest Walmart or convenience store, there's a little homework you'll have to do first. The free rental must be reserved online. And you'll only get to play for one day gratis. After that, the usual $2 per day rental charge kicks in. You'll also need to provide a credit card so those late charges can be assessed if you don't return the game on time.

Still, four days of free rentals isn't a bad deal, and the variety is pretty awesome. Among the titles being offered are The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassins Creed Revelations, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and The Darkness II. And, of course, a few of the big "3"s from last year are included: Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3 and Just Dance 3.

Redbox jumped into the game rental waters last June and has made a pretty big splash in that time. It offers titles for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii in more than 21,000 locations, including pharmacies, grocery stores, fast food restaurants and convenience stores.

The free rental week is a pretty smart way to further increase awareness of the service. And by throwing in a game as massive as Skyrim, it's not a bad way for Redbox to make money. Good luck playing that one for only one day.